New Kid in the Flock
by ChemicalSkiesSilverDreams
Summary: Hush is another 14-year-old bird kid from the School. She escaped and ran into Max's flock in Colorado. What will happen when the flock learns that Hush is even more powerful than Angel? Takes place pre-Angel Experiment.
1. Lost and Found

Chapter One: Lost and Found

The only sounds in the darkness were chirping crickets and Fang's own breathing. Everything else was silent. There was no moon, only stars. Fang liked the peace. He could think in solitude, without constantly facing the distractions of their creaky house or Gazzy's loud snoring.

Fang gently unfolded his wings, letting them rest against the shingles on the roof of the house in the warm, summer air. He looked out over the forested mountains, reduced to mere shadows during the night. Everything was utterly still and silent.

There was a creak and a whisper in the darkness below him. "Hello?"

It was the voice of a female, one who appeared to be terrified. Nonetheless, Fang moved cautiously and slowly, careful not to stir the air too much. He climbed carefully to the edge of the roof, and looked down.

A child stared calmly up at him, a young girl. Her eyes were wide, and Fang could see her unshed tears sparkling in her eyes in what little light the stars gave off. She was sitting in the dirt, her right leg bent awkwardly beside her.

After a quick scan of the forest surrounding them, Fang dropped silently to the ground beside the girl. She immediately flinched away from him, and he could understand why. His wings were still unfolded, and he had just dropped thirty feet like it was nothing. She probably had not seen anyone like him before.

"Who are you?" he asked, wishing his voice didn't sound so harsh.

"I…I'm like you," she whispered.

Fang opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but he soon understood. The girl slowly unfolded her wings from behind her. They were all shades of brown and white, contrasting deeply with Fang's, which were black as night.

"Where are you from?" Fang asked, kneeling down beside the girl to look at her injured leg. He could now see that she was older than he had originally thought. She was about his age, but the fear in her eyes made her seem younger. She was covered in dirt, sweat, and a little bit of blood. There were several cuts on her arms and face, and she looked to be in a lot of pain.

She watched him fearfully as he examined her leg. Her knee was clearly broken, and there was a deep cut oozing blood above her knee. "Can you straighten it out?" he asked quietly. She moved around, finally finding a position that allowed her to stretch out her leg without hurting it.

"Your knee is definitely broken," Fang muttered, trying not to touch her too much. "What happened?" He looked up, directly at her.

She looked away. "I was attacked. By Erasers. Not far from here. I didn't mean to come here and put you and your friends in danger, but I just…I couldn't keep going anymore."

"How did you know we were here?" Fang asked, glancing upwards. There could be an attack at any moment, for all he knew. The girl could've lead them here.

She struggled for an answer to his question. "The, uh, whitecoats experimented on me. I can, um, track people. I could sense the six of you from several miles away. You're the only ones out here, aside from me. I covered my tracks pretty well, I think."

"What's your name?" Fang asked, looking for other serious injuries on the girl. She had other cuts and bruises, but none were severe. He would have to bring her inside to treat her injuries, and that would mean waking Max and trying to explain things to her. And she certainly wouldn't be happy with him.

But Fang decided to make one of Max's famous, leader-like snap decisions. The girl was still puzzling over the name question, like it was something she really didn't want to answer. "C'mon," he said, moving over to her to help her up. She scooted away from him. "Where are we going?"

"Well, I'm not going to let you sleep out here, and I won't be able to fix your leg unless you come in."

She looked hesitant. "Are you sure? Max won't be very happy."

"You can read minds too?" He wasn't overly surprised. Angel had been able to do it for years. This girl was different, just like Angel.

She nodded. "I've been hearing your thoughts for about an hour." She almost looked embarrassed. Had he been thinking anything bad? Probably not.

The girl smiled slightly. "No, you were mostly just chilling."

Typically, Angel had kept her distance from his mind, but this girl seemed to be really aware of him. He wasn't sure if she was doing it on purpose or if she really couldn't control herself.

"No," she said quietly, and a little sadly. "I can't control it. But I'll stop answering the questions in your head, if you'd like." She smiled weakly again.

This time, she allowed Fang to move closer to her. He gently put an arm around her waist, carefully lifting her off the ground. She was light, but she leaned heavily on him, unable to use her right leg. Fang tried his best to quietly open the door, but he instantly realized that his attempts at sneakiness had failed completely.

Max was standing in the doorway, her hair and face illuminated by the lights from inside the house. She had apparently flicked every single one on, and both Fang and the mystery girl blinked in surprise as their eyes slowly adjusted.

"Who are you?" Max snarled at the girl, who instantly shied back from Max's intensive glare. She started stuttering something random.

"Max, move it," Fang said, causing Max to turn her basilisk glare on him. "I promise she'll explain. She's not gonna hurt us. She needs help."

Max wrinkled her nose in disbelief, but moved aside, opening the door wider for the two of them.

Fang led the girl to the kitchen, and carefully helped her into a chair. Max followed, not liking to be talked down to by Fang. The new girl could clearly sense this, because her small shoulders hunched, like she knew she was messing something up between them. It was their unspoken rule: Max led, Fang followed. That was just the way it was. Fang never told Max to do anything, and Max generally didn't have to order Fang to do anything either. They just had a mutual understanding, but that had just changed in a matter of seconds.

"Who are you?" Max demanded, glaring at the girl. She scooted back in her chair, as far as she could get from the grimacing Max. "I'm from a School, a lab, somewhere in California," she whispered. "I escaped. The Erasers were chasing me. I knew that you guys were near, and I just…I couldn't keep going."

Max shook her head before the girl even finished. "I don't believe you. We came from that same School, and we didn't remember ever seeing you. We escaped several years ago. We would've known about you."

"They kept me a secret from you. They wanted me to be their weapon. They gave me special powers, and they didn't want you to know about me. Only two scientists actually knew I existed."

Fang would've guessed that he and the flock had had some of the worst childhoods in the history of the world, but this girl's must've been even more miserable. They had had each other. She had no one. No wonder she was so afraid of people. She probably hadn't met any other children or teenagers in her whole life.

"Well, what makes you so special?" Max snapped.

"I can, uh, read minds. And I can location people real easily. I knew you guys were here, because my, um, sense of mutants is different from regular people. I knew where you were from the moment I escaped the School. I didn't mean to come here, but I didn't know where else to go. I thought…" she trailed off, embarrassed. "I thought you guys might help me, I guess."

"But they found you," Max said, her face expressionless. "And now, you're leading them here."

The girl quickly shook her head. "No, I promise they're not coming. I've been scanning regularly, but they've turned north. They don't know where you are, I promise," she said again.

Max studied her for a moment. "What's your name?"

The girl looked at her blankly. "I don't have a name."

"Well, pick one," Max suggested. "I don't know…how about Hush? You always seem to be so afraid all the time…"

The girl nodded. "Uh, okay."

Max nodded and straightened up. "Okay." She sighed, probably trying to regain her composure. "All right. Fang, go wake Iggy. We'll need him to help with her leg. Hell, wake everyone up. They'll all be annoyed unless we explain everything."

Fang nodded and left the kitchen. He could only hope that Max wouldn't interrogate Hush to death while he was gone. The kid had clearly been through a lot, and he didn't want to freak her more than she already was.

Fang jogged up the stairs, into the darkness that was the second floor. He didn't need light to find Iggy and Gazzy's room, which was just to the right of the stairs. Gazzy's snoring was obnoxiously loud, yet Iggy somehow managed to sleep soundly on the bed next to his. Fang flicked the light on, but still had to shake both boys awake. "C'mon, guys, we gotta get downstairs."

"Wha's goin' on?" Iggy muttered, running a hand through his messy blond hair. Gazzy was studiously ignoring Fang while pretending to be asleep.

"Emergency meeting," Fang said, contemplating kicking Gazzy to wake him up, but he finally rolled out of bed with several groans and complaints. "Can't it wait 'til morning'?" Gazzy muttered.

"No, it can't. We need you, Ig, downstairs right away."

"What's going on?" he asked sleepily.

"Um…" Fang began, not sure how to describe the new girl. "Well, there was a girl outside, in the woods. She's…like us. She was running from the Erasers. She's hurt."

Iggy's sightless eyes widened. "She has wings? Really?"

Gazzy snapped awake. "Seriously? That's awesome!"

Fang nodded, not really sure if it was awesome or not. "Yeah, well, go on down there. I'll be down in second, after I wake Nudge and Angel."

The boys trooped downstairs while Fang went across the hall to the girls' room. He pushed open the door and hit their light switch. Nudge immediately chucked a pillow at him. "It is _not_ morning yet. Get lost."

Fang smiled slightly. "No, it's not, but Max needs you guys downstairs for an emergency meeting."

He crossed the room to the corner that belonged to Angel. She had put a screen in, and had filled the area with stuffed animals, blankets, and pillows. She was sleeping peacefully, half in, half out of the pile. She looked so happy that Fang felt bad about waking her up. "C'mon, Angel, you gotta get up."

She opened her big brown eyes and squinted at him. "Is it morning, Fang?"

"No, hon, it's not, but you still gotta get up. Sorry for the bad timing."

He led the girls downstairs, down to the commotion below. He heard everyone talking at once, and he knew Hush would be terrified. She probably hadn't met many people in her life, and this many at once would seriously scare her. He hurried to the kitchen, hoping she was all right.

Hush was sitting in her chair, her leg up on another one. Iggy was examining her knee, and Max was helping him. Gazzy was talking excitedly to Hush, who was cautiously answering his questions and occasionally nodding. Iggy and Max were quietly talking about what they could do about her leg.

When Angel, Nudge, and Fang entered the room, everyone looked up. Hush almost looked glad to see him. Then her eyes fell on Angel.

With a horrified gasp, Hush leaped up from her chair, causing both Iggy and Max to jump back in surprise. Hush scooted as far away from everyone as she could possibly get. She pressed her back against the wall, her eyes wide and scared, looking like she was about to run away as fast as she could.

"Hush? What's wrong?" Iggy asked.

Hush shook her head. "It's her," she whispered, pointing to Angel. "She…she's dangerous." She shook her head again.

Max stepped forward, closer to Hush. "It's all right, Hush. Angel's with us. She won't do anything bad to you, I promise. Just…just sit down. It's all right."

Angel held Fang's hand, equally worried about Hush. Fang squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Hush eventually unstuck herself from the wall, and cautiously moved back over to the table, her eyes on Angel the entire time. The room was silent while everyone tried to figure out what was going on, and why Hush was so upset.

Hush gradually lowered herself back into her seat.

Max cleared her throat. "Okay. Well, um, I'm Max, if you didn't know. Maximum Ride. That's Iggy and Gazzy." She pointed to each of the pyromaniacs as she said their names. "That's Fang, Nudge, and Angel in the back. We're all mutants, like you. We all came from the School, in California. We escaped four years ago, with the help of a white coat named Jeb. He disappeared two years ago." Max's expression grew distant as she remembered the day Jeb had gone missing.

_Everyone was gathered in the kitchen. Bright light streamed through the curtains, signaling the beginning of the day. Iggy stood at the stove cooking eggs, which spread smoke and a delicious smell throughout the house. Max was at the fridge, probably hunting around for butter or milk. Fang and Nudge were setting the table, and Gazzy and Angel were demanding food with the banging of their knives and forks on the table. Everyone was in a good mood. Nothing was wrong._

_Max eventually sent Fang into Jeb's office to wake him up. He usually spent long nights in there, researching, writing things down, and eventually conking out on his desk. Fang came back into the kitchen with a piece of paper. A note._

_His voice was solemn as he read it. "'There comes a time in one's life when they have to do something they don't want to do in order to help others. I fear that now is my time. There isn't much I can tell you, except that I will probably be dead by the time you read this. There isn't anything you can do, so please don't come looking for me. Stay strong.'" _

_Fang looked up the group as he finished reading. Nudge and Angel were both crying and clinging to Max. The others were just a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "You mean he's gone? He's…dead?" Iggy asked._

_No one could answer his question. Rather, no one wanted to. The pleasant mood had evaporated. No one wanted to move, or talk, or do anything, really. They just wanted Jeb to come back. They wanted someone to lead them._

That's when Max's life of leadership started. She had always been tough, but now she was even stronger than she had been before. She had lost a lot of her silliness and indifference to the problems in the house. She had to act a lot older than she was, which was only twelve. Fang remembered trying to help her as much as possible, and trying not to get upset when everything didn't go as perfectly as it had when Jeb had been in charge.

Max continued to explain things about them: where they were from, about Jeb, and she also asked a lot of questions about Hush.

She had spent her entire life in the School, and had only escaped a few days before. The white coats had experimented on her constantly, trying to make her stronger than she already was. She was supposed to be the best of the best. A new kid of superhuman soldier. She was even more special than Max. Max and the rest of them were just test runs. Hush was the only one that mattered. Fang realized this through Hush's quiet explanations. They meant absolutely nothing. They were only there to help the white coats while they were messing with Hush. She was the only reason they existed.

Fang wasn't sure whether to be upset or relieved about this. He didn't want to be worthless, but at the same time, he was glad that the Erasers hadn't been tracking them down for the past four years. They were relatively safe where they were. Hush wasn't, however. They wanted her back, as Hush quietly reminded them. She wasn't happy about putting them in danger, but Max wouldn't let her leave until she was healed and no longer limping.

Once Hush's leg was tightly bandaged, Max found her some of her old clothes and told her to take a shower. It was now about six in the morning, and it was almost completely light outside. Hush was even paler than before, due to Iggy having to reset her knee. Fang sent the younger kids out when the real pain started, because Hush was whimpering and doing her best not to scream, and Fang didn't want the kids seeing her in pain like that. Hush endured though, and she only screamed once. Iggy spent the entire time apologizing for hurting her. Max, too, grimaced, but she dealt with it.

After that was all finished, Iggy disinfected the deep cut above her knee and wrapped it in a clean white bandage, not the ratty bandana Hush had tied around it. They would change it again once Hush cleaned herself up. Fang had to agree that she definitely needed a shower. Stumbling around in the Colorado wilderness for a couple days could do that to someone. Iggy promised to make her breakfast once she was clean, and Hush's deep blue eyes lit up excitedly at the mention of food.

Fang didn't miss the smile she and Iggy exchanged, and the way Iggy jumped up immediately to help Hush up the stairs to the bathroom. Max raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything more.

***

**Well, I hope you liked it. :] It's the first FanFic I've ever written, so please review and I will love you forever!**

**(Sorry if that creeped you out ^-^)**

**-Skye**


	2. Hush

Chapter Two: Hush

Iggy felt safe to me. His thoughts were sincere, and they matched what he said. He wasn't suspicious of me at all. That wasn't his nature. Max and Fang were both distrustful of me, and I didn't blame them. I could also tell that Max was a truly good person, and she was only looking out for the best interests of her flock. Fang was difficult to read, but he was also dedicated to the flock and to Max.

I didn't get too much from the others, just untapped, untamed power from the youngest one. Her powers were still developing, but she was already more powerful than her entire flock combined, and she'd be able to outmatch even the most highly trained Erasers in only a few years. She was loyal to the flock, but she had a strange tendency to doubt Max's ability to lead. She actually thought that she should be the leader. Yes, she was smart, but she was naïve. She didn't have half the life experience Max had. And even if she were older, she would be a little too ruthless to lead the flock.

The other two, the Gasman and Nudge, were both of average intelligence and power. There wasn't really anything special about them, but I was surprised to learn that the Gasman was the youngest girl's brother. He was so _normal_ compared to her. He could imitate voices and create disgusting smells, but that was about it. Nudge, Fang, Iggy, and Max would all have powers develop later on, but right now they were ordinary.

I had always been able to sense things like that, just like how I could find people. It wasn't seeing the future, exactly, it was just noticing things normally kept in the back of a person's mind. I could see all of their potential, but I didn't know what their futures' held. That was for them to discover.

Iggy knew his way around the house easily, despite the fact that he couldn't see. I didn't want to dig around in his head too much, but I couldn't help but search for how he could do things like heal people and cook. I learned that his other senses were stronger, overcoming the loss of his sight. He had been eight when the white coats had taken it from him. He only remembered the flock members as little children. I suddenly got a blast of one of his memories, something that I hadn't meant to unearth.

_They were in a large room, like a gym or something. They were all in cages against a wall. Iggy could see Max in the cage next to him, barely eight years old. She looked terrified, her face dirty and streaked with tears. Next to her was Fang, with short hair and bruises all over him. He looked scared, but also determined._

_To Iggy's left, a five year old Nudge cowered in her cage. Her hair was messy, and there was a bloody scratch on the side of her arm. In her arms was a two year old Gazzy, with little blond curls on the top of his head. Looking down, Iggy could see his own dirty hands and ratty clothes. There was a needle mark on the crease of his right elbow from where the white coats had drawn blood earlier that day. He looked out into the rest of the gym, wondering what the white coats were planning now._

_They had let the Erasers into the gym. They roamed over the fake grass on the floor of the room, their movements slow and sneaky. With peals of evil laughter, they approached the cages. One stuck his ugly head up to Nudge's cage, giving her a sadistic grin. "Hey there, little birdie! That little one looks like a mighty tasty snack," the Eraser said, smacking his lips. Iggy felt rage build up inside of him. _

"_Leave her alone," he snarled, knowing full well that the Erasers could tear him to shreds in a second. The Erasers moved over to his cage, their grins only growing wider. "I bet you got more meat on you anyway, boy. You'd make a delicious main course. We'll eat the chick and the baby for desert."_

_Before Iggy could respond, a white coat came over to them with a key to the cages. He unlocked Iggy's first, and he hesitantly climbed out, wary of the Erasers. But they moved out of his way, and he scooted over towards Nudge and the Gasman, intending to protect them from the psychotic Erasers. He wasn't fast enough._

_The Eraser who had talked to them grabbed Nudge the second she escaped her cage. Another one tore Gazzy out of her arms. Nudge started screaming at the top of her lungs as the Eraser dragged her away. Iggy dashed after them, managing to jump onto the back of one of them. He started kicking, punching, and doing anything else he could to protect Nudge. He saw Max and Fang being grabbed by Erasers too, and he was soon captured as well. _

_Fighting was pointless. The Erasers dragged them to the middle of the gym and tossed them down. Iggy tried to move, and was kicked in the ribs by an Eraser. Gasping for breath, he saw Nudge's terrified brown eyes beside him, and Gazzy's innocent blue ones on the other side. He heard a whistle blow. And he knew that the game would soon begin. The final game. They'd run from the Erasers and be caught. But this time, they wouldn't be shoved back in their cages again. They'd be dead._

I fell out of Iggy's memories with a gasp. Iggy, not aware that anything had happened, spun around. His searching hands found my arms. "Hush? Are you okay? Did you trip?"

I quickly righted myself, moving away from Iggy. "Um, yeah, I tripped. My bad." I didn't want Iggy to know that I had gone into his memories, even if it was only an accident. There was a reason people didn't share their thoughts with others. There was a reason they were kept secret. My job, in the white coat's eyes, was to find out every possible secret from the person they were interrogating. I was capable of doing that. But I didn't want to be a monster. I didn't want to be a freak. So I tried only to speak, and to not communicate with my mind. I didn't want to scare the flock after they had helped me out.

Iggy gave me a look, but he continued down the hallway. There were many windows, I noticed, in the house. I could understand that. The flock liked to have contact with the outside world after being caged up for so long. I felt the same way, though I would've preferred to enjoy the outdoors without having to run for my life through a dense forest. I would definitely be enjoying it more now that I was safe. There wasn't any Eraser thoughts in the entire state of Colorado. They were several hundred miles from here, looking for me somewhere in Oregon, north of California. I didn't have to be cautious anymore. I could actually enjoy the outside. Right after a warm shower and a home cooked meal. Two things I had never had in my entire miserable life.

We finally reached our destination: another nondescript doorway along the long, narrow hallways branching off from the main section of the house. Iggy pushed the door open, and I again wondered how he found things without sight. He must've just been used to it by now.

"This is the bathroom that Fang and I share. You can use it all you want. Fang won't mind unless you don't clean up after himself. He's kinda nuts like that." Iggy's friendly, genuine smile surprised me. I also hadn't seen many of those in my life. I nodded, then quickly realized Iggy wouldn't see it.

"Okay. I'll keep everything clean."

He turned to leave.

"Iggy?"

"Yeah?" he asked, looking at me. I knew he wasn't really seeing me, but, if I didn't already know, I wouldn't have known the difference.

"Thanks. For my leg, and everything," I said, feeling uncomfortable.

He smiled again, and I returned it.

"No problem, Hush. Let me know if you need anything." He went back down the hall. I watched him go, and then shook my head at my own idiocy. He probably thought I was a moron.

I stared at the shower for a few minutes, trying to figure out how it worked. I eventually started moving the knob in the middle, finding that if I pulled on it, water came out of the tap at the top of the shower. I then twisted the knob to the red side, hoping that it was hot. I slid out of my filthy clothes and dumped them on the floor, making a mental note to clean up any dirt I may have dropped on the floor. No need to get on Fang's bad side.

I let the hot water gush over me for several minutes, at least until the water stopped running an icky brownish-red color down the drain. I then scrubbed my hair and my entire body with soap. It was the best thing I had ever felt. I rinsed all the soap out, and found some soft white towels in the closet next to the shower. I wrapped myself in one and picked my nasty clothes up off the floor. I would probably have to get rid of them. I had stolen them from a hiker's tent when I was trekking through the woods. They were too big and ugly to boot. I didn't want them, even if they weren't covered in filth.

I moved them out of my way and looked at the clothes Max had let me borrow. Black athletic shorts, a light green t-shirt, and sneakers. I pulled them on, hoping that they fit. Max was a few inches taller than me, but we were basically the same size. Everything fit me good, and they were soft and they smelled very clean. Not like antiseptic, but like laundry detergent. It was a very safe smell.

I looked at myself in the mirror above the sinks in the bathroom. My light brown hair was wet, making it appear dark. It was messy and I knew it would be frizzy when it dried. I found a comb in one of the drawers and yanked it through all the snarls in my hair. I finally got all the tangles out, and it actually didn't look to bad. It was close to my shoulders, which meant I would have to cut it soon. I just bothered me if it got too long.

I dumped my old clothes in the trashcan, and made sure everything was back in its original position. I then laced up Max's sneakers and found my way down to the kitchen. I could simply follow my nose and easily find it. I had never smelled anything like the scents that wafted to my nose from the kitchen, but they smelt amazing. I guessed it was Iggy's cooking that was making my mouth water. I walked a little faster, wanting to get to the food as soon as possible. I'd only had a little bit to eat in the few days I'd been wandering, and I ate a lot more than an average teenage girl.

Sure enough, Iggy was at the stove, cooking away. Fang was setting the table with plates and silverware, and Max was pouring juice and helping Iggy with a few things. Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel were already sitting, eagerly anticipating breakfast. I was hit with an overwhelming blast of power from Angel, even though she was just sitting there. That girl had no idea how powerful she was. I had never met anything like her, and I had seen a lot of mutants before.

I tried to ignore it as I entered the kitchen. Everyone had a smile for me when they saw me. I didn't really know why, but I liked it. It made me feel wanted. Liked, even. It was such a strange emotion, one I didn't think I'd ever get to experience. But I didn't mind it.

I sat down at the table, as far away from Angel as I could possibly get. She still scared me. If she could control her power, she could easily kill all of us in this room in a nanosecond. Now _that_ was not something you wanted to worry about when you were trying to enjoy breakfast. Good thing the rest of Max's flock were oblivious to Angel's power. I didn't think she'd hurt them anyway.

To much applause and cheering, Iggy brought breakfast over to the table and set it down with a little bow. I was planning on waiting until everyone else had their food before I got mine, but Iggy motioned for me to go before him. "You're the guest," he said with a grin.

Iggy had made an enormous amount of food, so I ended up piling my plate high with sausages, bacon, eggs, and biscuits. I hadn't had any of those things before, but Iggy happily explained what everything was, and that eggs were his specialty.

Everything tasted like heaven. I ate until I couldn't cram anything else into my stomach. It was the best feeling in the world. Yet another feeling I had never felt. Today was turning out to be full of surprises.

First, I had stumbled upon six mutants who were just like me, then they had turned out to be nice and had offered me shelter, then I had eaten actual food, taken a hot shower, worn clean clothes, and been treated like an actual human being. Although, I was only 98 percent actual human.

"So, Hush…" Max began. "Fang said that you said that the Erasers were chasing you. Do you know where they are now?"

All silliness and small talk at the table ceased as everyone waited for my answer. "They're, uh, somewhere in Oregon. They think I went north. They won't bother you guys, I promise," I said quickly.

Max nodded. "Okay, good. I was a little worried about that, but they're a ways away, so they don't know where we are."

"I'll be gone by tomorrow anyway," I said. "I don't want to put you in more danger than I already have."

Both Max and Iggy gaped at me.

"You can't leave yet!" Iggy burst out. "You're still hurt. And you just said the Erasers were in Oregon. They're not anywhere near here. You don't have to go." Turning red, he quickly shut his mouth.

I really didn't want to peek into his thoughts, but I couldn't help myself.

_I like having her here. She definitely makes things more interesting around here. She's still hurt. She's nuts if she thinks she can just run off with her leg all busted up. She probably doesn't even know how to fly. She'd just get captured._

I pulled out of Iggy's mind, not wanting him to know that I'd been in there. He was right, in most aspects. I was still hurt, I just didn't want them to know. And I actually didn't know how to fly. My wings were basically decoration at this point. I could easily escape the Erasers if I could take to the air. I wouldn't be endangering Max and Iggy and everyone else. I hoped I could convince them to teach me how to fly today. There were certainly many mountains to go diving off of. I was pretty sure that it was just second nature. It would probably just kick in once I tried it.

I helped the older kids clean up after breakfast, even after being told several times that I didn't have to help. I would've felt bad if I didn't. I didn't want them doing anything for me that I didn't pay them back for. I was a total stranger; it was a miracle they were even helping me at all.

I was washing dishes alongside Fang while Max hunted Gazzy down for making such a mess at the table. That kid doesn't eat food, he inhales it. And what doesn't make it to his mouth ends up splattered all over the place.

"Did the white coats ever teach you how to fly?" Fang asked me quietly. I handed him a clean plate, which he dutifully dried off and put away in the cabinet next to his head.

"No, they probably didn't want me to learn," I answered. "I could've escaped more easily."

He nodded. "They didn't teach us either. Jeb taught us, after he took us away from the School. It's not that hard to learn, though. We could teach you." His dark eyes met mine, and I felt myself momentarily hypnotized. I blinked rapidly, wondering what that was all about. I felt myself drifting into Fang's memories, and I couldn't get myself out fast enough.

_He was running. It was dark out, and he could hear the vicious howling of Erasers behind him. He couldn't go much longer. His muscles were burning. They were catching up._

"_Hurry, Fang!" Max hissed. She came in through the trees surrounding him on all sides and whipping into his path. She, too, was breathing heavily, soaked in sweat. She was also carrying two-year-old Angel in her arms. Angel was crying, having some sort of guess as to what was happening. _

_Fang could hear other footsteps. The lighter ones were Max's and Iggy's, who was somewhere in front of him and to his left. Iggy was holding Gazzy, and Jeb was with Nudge, who couldn't run very far on her own, but who was too big to be carried. He would make sure she was safe._

_The clunky, heavy footsteps gaining on Fang belonged to the Erasers. They were snarling and howling and occasionally bellowing threats to the bird kids running from them. They crashed through the trees and bushes, not caring how much noise they made. They were the hunters who had sighted their prey. They didn't need to be quiet. _

"_There's a clearing ahead!" Max gasped. "Maybe we could…get up into the air."_

_Fang glanced doubtfully at her. None of them had flown before. They could fall and end up being captured again. Or just killed outright. Fang wasn't sure he wanted to die just yet._

_But, as he soon learned, he wouldn't have a choice._

_He and Max burst through the trees. There was about two feet of empty forest floor before the land plunged sharply down into a sheer cliff. Neither Fang nor Max had a chance to slow down before they rocketed off the cliff into nothing but thin air. Angel shrieked and Max held her tighter as they began to fall. _

"_Now!" Max screamed, suddenly unfurling her wings. Fang did the same, feeling pain rip through his shoulders with his sudden stop. He flapped frantically, praying that he would stay airborne. _

"_It worked!" Max yelped excitedly. "Fang, we're flying!" _

_Fang just nodded, and followed Max as she led him over the unforgiving blue water a hundred feet below. It was churning tumultuously with jagged rocks poking out, just waiting for a certain bird kid to fall into it. Fang shuddered and flew unsteadily after Max, who was working her way up to the top of the cliff on the other side of the river. Fang could still hear the Erasers, but their snarling had gone from triumphant to furious. They had lost their prey. There wouldn't be any flying mutants on the menu tonight._

I fell back into reality slowly, still caught up in Fang's vivid memory. I could still feel the icy air whipping past me, the adrenaline, the fear, and the relief.

Fang was looking at me funny, and I wondered if I had been standing there for several minutes, just staring at him blankly.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Totally. Perfectly fine."

He looked at me doubtfully, but didn't press the matter. I busied myself in washing dishes, not even caring that I was scraping someone's food off their plate with my bare hands.

I had to stop getting into people's heads. I just didn't know how to keep it under control. Whenever I had a lapse in concentration, I found myself slipping off into a painful memory, or train of thought. It wasn't good. I shouldn't be able to know what had happened in the flock's past. It was none of my business. I had already found myself reliving Iggy and Fang's memories, and I certainly didn't want to delve into Max's. Who knew what kind of horrible stuff had happened to her? Fang and Iggy had it bad enough.

Angel skidded into the kitchen suddenly, and a wave of power nearly knocking me over. Fang caught me as I stumbled. "Are you okay?" he asked, standing me up again.

I nodded. "Yeah." I had managed not to drop the plate, and I quickly handed it to Fang. Angel was watching me curiously, and I wondered if she was digging around in my head.

_Quit it,_ I snarled at her.

Her big eyes widened. _You can read minds too?_

_Yeah. Stay out of mine._

She nodded fearfully, which Fang luckily didn't catch. Good. I hoped I had worried Angel, but not Fang. He didn't need to be worrying about me. In fact, I planned on learning how to fly and then getting out of here as soon as I could. There was no need to put the flock in danger. I could find somewhere to stay by myself, and if the Erasers came, I would fight, but I wouldn't have to worry about any of them dying for me. I wasn't worth that much.


End file.
